DATE=9/14/98 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-238661 TITLE=CUBAN SPY ARRESTS (L) BYLINE=JIM TEEPLE DATELINE=MIAMI CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION SAYS IT HAS BROKEN UP A SPY RING IN MIAMI, FLORIDA RUN BY THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT. V-O-A'S JIM TEEPLE REPORTS TEN INDIVIDUALS HAVE BEEN ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH ESPIONAGE IN WHAT FEDERAL AGENTS ARE CALLING AN UNPRECEDENTED EFFORT BY THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT TO GATHER INTELLIGENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. TEXT: THE F-B-I SAYS THE EIGHT MEN AND TWO WOMEN, CHARGED WITH ESPIONAGE, ALLEGEDLY WORKED TO PENETRATE THE U-S SOUTHERN COMMAND WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR U-S MILITARY ACTIVITIES IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN AS WELL AS TO DISRUPT THE ACTIVITIES OF CUBAN- EXILE GROUPS IN MIAMI. ACCORDING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES ONE OF THE AGENTS WAS EMPLOYED AT THE BOCA CHICA KEY WEST NAVAL BASE AND ANOTHER ATTEMPTED TO GET HIRED AT SOUTHERN COMMAND HEADQUARTERS IN MIAMI. TWO OTHERS SUCCESSFULLY PENETRATED AT LEAST TWO CUBAN EXILE GROUPS IN MIAMI. THOMAS SCOTT THE U-S ATTORNEY FOR SOUTH FLORIDA SAYS THE ESPIONAGE ACTIVITIES ARE UNPRECEDENTED. // SCOTT ACTUALITY // IN SCOPE AND IN DEPTH THIS CASE IS REALLY UNPARALLELED IN RECENT YEARS. THIS SPY RING WAS TASKED BY THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT TO STRIKE AT THE VERY HEART OF OUR NATIONAL SECURITY SYSTEM AND OUR VERY DEMOCRATIC PROCESS. // END ACTUALITY // THE AGENTS ALLEGEDLY RECEIVED THEIR INSTRUCTIONS THROUGH HIGH- FREQUENCY RADIO COMMUNICATIONS FROM CUBA. ACCORDING TO THE F-B-I THE SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS WERE TO GET INFORMATION ON THE COMBAT READINESS OF U-S TROOPS AND MILITARY MANUEVERS IN THE REGION. THE F-B-I SAYS THE OPERATION WAS SOPHISTICATED AND WAS RUN BY THREE CUBAN INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS AND LED BY A CAPTAIN IN CUBA'S MILITARY INTELLIGENCE SERVICE. OTHER MEMBERS OF THE GROUP PENETRATED CUBAN EXILE GROUPS IN MIAMI INCLUDING BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE AND THE DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT. JOSE BASULTO THE HEAD OF BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE SAYS HE'S NOT SURPRISED BY THE ALLEGATIONS. // BASULTO ACTUALITY // WE KNOW THAT CASTRO HAS A LARGE NUMBER OF SPIES WORKING HERE IN SOUTH FLORIDA AND WE UNDERSTAND THE OTHER SIDE TRIES TO DO US IN AND WE ACTUALLY HAD REMOVED THE ONE PERSON THAT I KNEW FROM THAT GROUP FROM BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE BECAUSE I HAD SUSPICIONS THAT HE MIGHT BE INVOLVED IN OTHER THINGS. // END ACTUALITY // LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES WON'T SAY WHETHER MEMBERS OF THE SPY RING WERE INVOLVED IN THE SHOOT DOWN OF TWO PLANES BELONGING TO BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE IN 1996. THE PLANES WERE SHOT DOWN BY CUBAN JETS SHORTLY AFTER A MEMBER OF BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE LATER IDENTIFIED AS A CUBAN SPY RETURNED TO THE ISLAND. // OPT // LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES ALSO WON'T SAY HOW THEY BECAME AWARE OF THE SPY RING OR HOW THEIR INVESTIGATION PROCEEDED. HECTOR PESQUERA THE F-B-I AGENT IN CHARGE DOES SAY CUBAN INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES IN THE UNITED STATES HAVE BEEN THOUGH ROUGHLY DISRUPTED. // PESQUERA ACTUALITY // THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT BLOW TO THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT AND THEIR EFFORTS TO COME INTO THIS COUNTRY AND CONDUCT INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES. // END ACTUALITY -- END OPT //// AMONG THE TEN SUSPECTS, TWO ARE U-S CITIZENS AND ONE HOLDS U-S RESIDENCY. IF CONVICTED SOME OF THE DEFENDANTS COULD FACE LIFE IMPRISONMENT. A SPOKESMAN FOR THE CUBAN INTERESTS SECTION IN WASHINGTON SAYS THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT WILL WITHHOLD COMMENT ON THE MATTER UNTIL IT HEARS FROM THE U-S STATE DEPARTMENT. (SIGNED) NEB/JLT/PT 14-Sep-98 8:04 PM EDT (0004 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .